Torlina v. Trorlicht & Hohnstrator

6 N.M. 54, 6 Gild. 54
CourtNew Mexico Supreme Court
DecidedJuly 25, 1891
DocketNo. 342
StatusPublished

This text of 6 N.M. 54 (Torlina v. Trorlicht & Hohnstrator) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering New Mexico Supreme Court primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Torlina v. Trorlicht & Hohnstrator, 6 N.M. 54, 6 Gild. 54 (N.M. 1891).

Opinion

Lee, J.

finding: review on appeal. • The plaintiff in error on the second day of March, 1889, filed in this court his petition for rehearing, supported by forcible and able argument. The questions discussed are those considered by the court in the opinion heretofore rendered. The defendants in error in their brief originally filed presented two points for consideration. The first was, where a question of fact had been submitted to the court and passed upon without a- jury, the appellate court could not review the rulings of the court below thereon. The court held adversely to the proposition, as it was urged by the defendants, and fully considered all the questions of error presented by the plaintiff. This question has since been before this court, and it was held that, under the statutes of the territory as they then existed, authorizing the waiving of a jury and trial by the court, the general verdict of the court might be reviewed, the same as a general verdict of a jury. Therefore nothing would be considered in the case except such rulings of the court, during the progress of the trial, as have been duly excepted to and brought before the appellate court by a bill of exceptions. Lynch v. Grayson. But as the judgment of the court below, as well as the opinion of this court sustaining the same, in effect is in harmony with the views as expressed in the case referred to, we will not further consider the point than as it may have the effect to limit our consideration to the exact questions decided by the court below, and which has been properly brought up for our determination. As before held, “the weight of evidence and the inferences of fact must be drawn by the court below, as it was the judge of that court, and not the supreme court, that was substituted by agreement of the parties in the stead of the jury.” Insurance Co. v. Folsom, 18 Wall. 237.

Instructions. The second point made in the brief of defendants in error is thus stated by them: “But, even if the court can review the refusal to give the instruction asked by plaintiff, such refusal was not error. The court fully and fairly declared the law in the instructions given or adopted. Refusal to give instructions in the abstract is no ground of reversal, where they could not have been applicable to any evidence, and proper instructions, appropriate to the case, were given so that the party preferring those refused can not have been injured by the refusal. If the law arising from the evidence is fairly charged, or, as in this case, fully recognized, by the court’s refusal to give other instructions to the same effect is not error.” It .g ^ ge^¡e¿ fo need citation of authorities that, if the court below fully and fairly declares the law applicable to the whole case and the several parts thereof, the court of last resort will not reverse the cause for any alleged error in refusing other instructions asked on the trial,-but not given. In this case the instructions given, or rather declared and held by the court, do fully declare the law as applicable to the issue and evidence. Two questions reasonably arose in the trial court upon the evidence: First, were the defendants about fraudulently to dispose of their property at the time the writ of' attachment issued, so as to defraud plaintiff’s creditors? Secondly, were they about to dispose of their property subject to execution, so as to hinder and delay their creditors, in such a manner as that such hindering and delaying would amount to fraud in law, without reference to the actual intent present in the minds of the defendants at the time of the transaction? The law, as held by the court below, is in favor of the plaintiff on the first point. As to the second one, the trial court, in the third and fourth declarations, held that an assignment for the purpose of delaying creditors twelve months, or indefinitely, until business improved, or until such time as the property should so advance in value as to pay all the debts of the debtor, would be an unreasonable delay, and therefore fraudulent.

The law, as held, by the trial court, and applied to the evidence, was in favor of the plaintiff, both as to the question of actual fraudulent intent and such unreasonable postponement of payment as to constitute fraud in law, following on those questions the law of the case as contended for by the plaintiff below. On these two points that court, however, evidently held the evidence not to prove either actual fraudulent intent, or such, unreasonable delay as to amount to fraud in law; otherwise the court would have found for plaintiff on that branch of' the issue. The finding of the court on the weight of evidence is discussed at some length in the former opinion, but the action of the court below for an alleged error as to the conclusions to be drawn from the evidence is not reversible here, if there is any substantial evidence in support of the finding of the court below. The inquiry before this court is whether the trial court erred in its refusal to give the instructions, or to declare the law to be as asked by the plaintiff. If the court below had found the evidence to have proven that the defendants intended to make such an assignment of their property as to delay their creditors in the collection of their debts twelve months, or so as to create an unreasonable delay, it would certainly have found for the plaintiff, under the view of the law declared by that court in the points held, or the instructions given. If, however, the court found that the evidence proved an intention on the part of the defendants, before the writ of attachment issued, to make an assignment of their property, which would create but slight delay, and also held that such an assignment was not fraudulent in law, such finding would have been, as it was, for the defendant, because the law, as declared by the trial court upon such a state of facts, would be with the defendant. The record is silent, except as the same may be inferred, as to the actual views entertained by the trial judge at the trial, as it only shows on that question that the case was tried at the special September term; taken under advisement ; and on the fourteenth day of October, 1886, a general finding for the defendant entered; so we are unable to determine, even if the question were important, whether the ruling here is placed on the same ground as that upon which the cause was determined below. It seems to us unimportant as to the ground on which the trial court predicated its action, as the question here is, does there exist reversible error in the record. If the defendant in error had rested his cause here upon the single point that the court could not review the proceedings below, even then, if the court deemed that contention not well taken, it would not be justified in reversing the cause, unless some error was found in the record, and would be bound, before reversing, to examine the whole record to determine whether reversible error was apparent. Certainly this court could not reverse the cause merely because it deemed its powers of review to be greater than defendant’s argued in one point of their brief. Nor could the court reverse the cause if, in its judgment, the court below decided right, even though this court should be of opinion that the decision below was placed on wrong grounds. In the opinion originally announced, the instructions refused are set out. A consideration of the instructions given will throw some light upon the point in the mind of the trial court at the time of its refusal to give the instructions about which complaint is now made.

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Related

Brashear v. West
32 U.S. 608 (Supreme Court, 1833)
Insurance Co. v. Folsom
85 U.S. 237 (Supreme Court, 1874)
Mayer v. Hellman
91 U.S. 496 (Supreme Court, 1876)
Reed v. McIntyre
98 U.S. 507 (Supreme Court, 1879)
Means v. Dowd
128 U.S. 273 (Supreme Court, 1888)
Peters v. Bain
133 U.S. 670 (Supreme Court, 1890)
March v. Heaton
16 F. Cas. 700 (D. Massachusetts, 1868)

Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
6 N.M. 54, 6 Gild. 54, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/torlina-v-trorlicht-hohnstrator-nm-1891.